When New York's annual hunting and trapping regulations guide came out this past summer, there was an item on page 47, in the migratory game bird section, that caught sportsmen off guard.

It is the new Personal Flotation Device (PFD) requirement. This was pretty much when the general public first heard that effective today, Nov. 1, all persons in a boat less than 21 feet in length must be wearing a life vest, or PFD, from now until May 1.

This regulation effects everyone who goes boating, not just sportsmen. It specifically applies to fishermen, waterfowl hunters, canoe and kayak paddlers and anyone who is in a boat smaller than 21 feet. You must wear a life vest. It's as simple as that.

I'm more than OK with this regulation. I do agree, however, that it is a little scary how the state snuck this one in under the radar. I can't help but wonder what other laws could come about this way in the future.

As a member of the media, I usually hear about such laws when they are in the making. From press releases sent by the Department of Environmental Conservation to annual lunch meetings with Commissioner Grannis, we usually hear about this stuff. Not this time.

That sole gripe aside, I know this law will save lives. A few years ago on the first day of trout season (April 1), I was fishing in a solo canoe on Glen Lake near Lake George when I became involved in helping to rescue three fellow anglers who had tipped over in a rowboat.

Just a week earlier, my wife and I had been on a thawed fen of this same lake in our kayaks while ice had still remained on the main body of water. Now we had three guys in the cold water who were dressed in jeans, sweatshirts and work jackets and were not wearing life vests.

I'm glad to report this story had a happy ending, but if these men were alone out there it might not have been. One of them later told me he was starting to experience tunnel vision after only five minutes in the chilly water. Two weeks later, I spent a warm spring day fishing at Cedar River Flow in the central Adirondacks. At a restaurant I stopped into on the way home, I heard of a drowning that same day in Garnet Lake in Warren County. It was an angler not wearing a life vest.

If there is one group of outdoorsmen I do sympathize with in regard to this law, it is waterfowl hunters. Many of them spend considerable sums of money getting their shotguns to fit their shooting form. An inch or two of foam in the life vest will surely change that form. Their challenge will be to find a product, an inflatable life vest perhaps, that reduces that effect.

Another area where this law will surely have a positive impact is with paddlers. Each year, during the holidays many people get their first kayak. Sometimes we get a warm day and they can't resist the urge to try it out. I recall one instance where some "holiday" paddlers got into trouble on Round Lake near Clifton Park when some strong winds kicked up. One of them turned over and had to be rescued. Come spring, these same paddlers descend on waters everywhere and often don't know the danger that lurks right underneath them.

I can go on and on with examples of cold water mishaps. In some cases the subjects were lucky and in others they were not. The bottom line is that cold water kills and this new law will keep people's heads above water if they do get into trouble. It will also buy those who come to their rescue some time and will surely make their rescue much easier and safer for everyone involved.

Overall, I don't think it's too much to ask to wear a life vest for six months of the year.

Dan Ladd is the author of "Deer Hunting in the Adirondacks," outdoors editor for the Glens Falls Chronicle, columnist for Outdoors Magazine and contributor to New York Outdoor News. Contact him at www.adkhunter.com.